Boro's players are determined to right the wrongs of last season, insisted Rhys Williams today.

In a brutally honest assessment of the club’s slide down the table last season, the skipper admits some of the results the team suffered were “embarrassing”.

He was less than satisfied with his own form and was left out of Australia’s squad for two World Cup qualifiers earlier this summer.

But he also believes he will be better for the experience next season and that Boro can bounce back and win promotion.

“The season can’t come quickly enough for all the boys,” he told the Gazette at the club’s training camp in the Algarve.

“It was bad what happened last season and it got to the point where it was embarrassing for us as players. No one likes to lose, but to go on a run like that was terrible, it was horrendous.

“So we want to put things right, we’re raring to go starting with Leicester on the first day of the season.”

Boro have yet to complete their summer re-building programme but Williams points out that some key players who missed the start of last season should be available when the campaign gets underway.

“We can definitely challenge again,” he said. “If you look back to the first half of last season, we’ve still got the majority of the players we had then and we’re going to have Muzzy (Carayol) from the start, Lukas (Jutkiewicz) from the start, Scott (McDonald) myself as well, all trying to fight for places.

“Also with the gaffer bringing in some more faces it’s going to be good and hopefully we can start like a house on fire like we did last season but this time finish the same way.

“It is hard to put last season behind us because we thought it would be a season that we would go up and it should have been.

“We’re still reflecting on that and I’m sure that will drive us on to put it right. We can’t wait to get going.”

Williams, who celebrates his 25th birthday tomorrow, and his team-mates are working hard in the sweltering Portuguese sunshine.

For the Australian, it’s unusual that he’s had a clean break from football this summer because he’s usually on international duty in the closed season.

But being dropped by the Socceroos could work in Boro’s favour.

“I think the break was good for me just to clear my head and see what went wrong and what went right,” he admitted.

“I think not getting picked for Australia summed up my season.

“But I feel really good now. Not getting called up in the summer was a bit hard to take but it may have been a blessing in disguise.

“I had a nice break with my family, got married, so it’s good to have a long break.

“It’s the longest I’ve had for a while and I’m back raring to go, I feel really good.”